WASHINGTON – Kellogg's will take steps to phase out the use of the herbicide glyphosate to dry oats and wheat before harvest, eliminating use of the potentially harmful chemical in the main ingredients of many of the company’s breakfast cereals and other foods.
Kellogg's pledged to work with its wheat and oat suppliers to end the use of the herbicide, sold under the name Roundup, as a pre-harvest drying agent in all of its major crop markets, including the U.S., by 2025, according to a statement published on the company’s website and reported on by the Washington Post.
“We applaud Kellogg's for working with their suppliers to address the risks posed by glyphosate,” said EWG President Ken Cook. “It’s no surprise that consumers don’t want a controversial weedkiller in their cereal. Now it’s time for General Mills and Quaker to listen to their customers and fall in behind Kellogg's leadership and do the same – end this use of this notorious weedkiller.”
In 2018 and 2019, EWG commissioned three rounds of laboratory tests of cereals and other foods sold by Kellogg's, General Mills and Quaker, and found glyphosate in virtually every sample analyzed. Many of the samples contained levels of glyphosate far above the benchmark of 160 parts per billion that EWG scientists say is safe for children.
Since EWG released the results of its first round of tests, more than 310,00 consumers have signed the group’s petition calling on Kellogg's, General Mills and Quaker to remove the weedkiller from their products.
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The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action.
